pengyou

Does anyone have/ or have used a windshield on their bicycle? Can you please comment from personal experience the effect it has on cycle? Speed gain? reduced tiredness, etc?

Thanks!

Nightshade

Yep, I've got a used universal small motorcycle windshield on
my city bike. It helps in the winter and in the rain but it you
never go fast enough in the city to push the drag it causes to
much. I would never use a windshield on a road bike!!

This shield mounted easily to my cycle.

https://www.cycleshopusa.com/products.asp?nm=1464

hotbike

Here's one. It also carries cargo inside. The other bike has an aluminum pipe mounted to the top tube with stainless steel hose-clamps.

hotbike

Here's the other bike, a.k.a. the Type 5, in camoflage while I was in the military (I'm a Gulf War Veteran).

hotbike

The Type 7-A mounts to the handlebars and also carries stuff inside, like any bicycle basket.

hotbike

The Type 9 has it's aerodynamics based on the Kenworth truck spoiler.
A fiberglass 4"x6" replaces the 1 and 1/4" pipes used on the type 5.

Crash protection is more important than speed. I know, other recumbent builders call me a "Safety Nazi". But read more about fairings, and it says they are for protection:
http"//www.whatisafairing.com

Why is it called a fairing? My theory: You have a strong wind blowing in your face when you bike. You install a windsheild, and then you have a fair wind blowing on you. That's why it's called a fairing.

hotbike

The Type 6 is based on the Type 5, but it has a roof and roll cage.


Type 7-D fairing is mounted to the head-tube. Opens like a car-hood.

hotbike

Type 10 has fiberglass supports like the Type 9, but I used a 1982 Suzuki GS fairing.
It has two 50 watt headlights and nine colored lights.

To answer your question, I had noted speed gain with most of these fairings. Type 7 and type 9 were designed in Florida, by Florida residents, and they made the fairings smaller, on account it's so hot in Florida.

hotbike

Type 3 is pictured here. I was not happy with this fairing because it made the handling squirlly. I went on to mount the subsequent farings to the frame, via the top-tube, leaving room for the front wheel to turn.

hotbike

https://www.peraves.ch/

The Peraves Ecomobile is made in Switzerland, and is maybe the only bike in production that looks anything like the Type 6.

Chaco

I ride with a fairing on my Stratus XP, and i'm very happy with it. I'd say it adds a couple miles per hour as well. It also keeps the sand flies out of my face when I'm cycling next to the lagoons in the early morning.

hotbike

To answer your question, I would say there is a speed gain, around 10%.
I get just as tired, because I am pedalling just as hard.
Some of the fairings I posted pics of can carry cargo, even rocks and dirt for trail building projects. Frame mounted fairing can carry 100 pounds of weight.
The fairings I have built offer crash protection. I've been "right hooked" and managed to turn it into a "Pitt maneuver", where I left the car facing traffic the wrong way.

Weather protection is excellent, and I ride in 15 degree farenheit cold, that no one else will ride a bike in.
I especially like the way the fairing keeps sleet / freezing rain off of me.

But as I said, Florida people test rode the Type 5 and said they got too hot. The Type 7 and Type 9 were designed with smaller fairings so the rider stays cool.

There is no way anyone can invent or build a fairing that will be perfect for all the World. Northern climates will inspire bigger fairings and velomobiles, while more at tropical lattitudes people will view them as "sweat-boxes".

pengyou

THanks! Nice pics.

geebee

My avatar shows the ultimate style of practical weather/wind protection, speed increase is significant.
0 degree temps don't need gloves or special foot wear as there is no wind chill.
In hot flatter areas the shade provided and airflow from increased speed will keep the temperature down but long steep hills in high temps will cook you.
Two wheeled streamliners are faster but less practical.

Doug5150

I've never had one, for either uprights or a recumbent.

Zzipper and Mueller are the two main US bike-fairing companies; both offer some fairings for uprights-
https://www.zzipper.com/Products/prod_upright.php
https://www.mueller-hp.com/ub.htm

As I've heard it--Zzipper and Mueller make roughly comparable products overall, it's just a matter of if one suits your purposes better than the other.

Among recumbent bike owners, the most common reason to use a fairing is to enable riding more comfortably in very-cold weather.
~

supcom

The latest issue of Bicycle Quarterly has wind tunnel tests of a couple fairings with results that they hurt the aerodynamic drag not helped. They did not go so far as to construct a fairing large enough to be a see though windshield.

hotbike

Did they test the bikes with a rider on them? That makes a big difference. And was the rider in spandex or regular clothes.

hotbike

I need a donor car , and I'll demonstrate. I'll have to capture it on video.

For demonstration purposes, I will inflict the damage on a parked car.

Portis

Windshields are very useful at sustained speeds of over 45 mph on the bicycle.

geebee

Actually aerodynamic drag becomes dominate at a lot lower speed than, that from memory around 30 kph it is something like 80% of the resistance to forward movement on a "normal" bike.
Have a play with this calculator if you want to get a feel for the difference a fairing/windscreen can have. https://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

If they tested the bike without a rider in the article referenced, it would have been totally pointless. Anyone confirm the test configuration?

supcom

The tests all had a rider. Tests were done in multiple riding positions (no aero bars), different types of jerseys and jackets. Except for one mountaineering jacket, all tests were cycling clothes, primarily to check the effects of various jerseys and jackets. No street clothes were tested.

Other things tested were the effects of a handlebar bag or large saddle bag and the effects of various types of fenders.

Tests were primarily done at 22 mph, as I recall. Lower speeds are hardly worth testing as wind effects drop off pretty quickly as speed decreases. Tests were also done for cross wind conditions.

The article is fairly comprehensive at testing the typical kinds of equipment a randonneur might use. Racing, or "aero" equipment was not tested. It's well worth purchasing a copy of the magazine (www.vintagebicyclepress.com) or getting a subscription to read the results of the tests.